‘We heard this big crack!’: Dozens of Byron homes smashed by trees in storm

Damage to residences on Southfield Crescent in London, Ont. seen on April 30, 2025, the day after a sudden windstorm hit the region. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

The cleanup from a sudden and powerful windstorm continues throughout the area.

A few pockets of our region remain without power.

One of the hardest hit areas is the Byron neighbourhood in London, Ont., where chainsaws are a common sight.

By most accounts, the hardest-hit street is Southfield Crescent. There were five homes struck by fallen trees.

No one was hurt, although a resident told CTV News London she was in her parked SUV out front when a tree fell. The sheer force picked up the curb and her vehicle with it.

Around the corner, another woman and her husband were in their kitchen when a tree - on city property - toppled.

“You couldn’t see anything because the wind was just swirling around, stuff flying through the air,” said Barb, who declined to share her last name.

Moments later, the pair, “Heard this big crack. So then, of course, we ran upstairs to see what happened.”

The sheer number of downed trees stretched city resources to the max. Hundreds of calls for service had come in by Thursday morning.

At least two were placed from Whisperwood Crescent, where a pair of trees came crashing down. One tree took out a fence and a recently installed gazebo.

“We love Mother Nature, but she can really do damage,” said Donna O’Reilly, as she overlooked the damage to her backyard.

But thankfully, again here, Mother Nature did spare injury, although resident Crystal Duncan witnessed a close call.

“There was a little girl on a scooter coming down the street, right when this tree went down. So terrifying,” she said.

While many wonder what type of weather event ultimately caused the “swirling” winds, its aftermath is already resonating.

“This is crazy. I remember seeing one last year like this, but this seems like way more damage than I’ve actually ever seen in my life,” said contractor Grant Campbell, who was busy repairing downed fences.

‘As long as nobody got hurt, you know, that’s important,” concluded O’Reilly.